The progression.

Quite a while ago, Eli discovered his pockets. Last night, however, he discovered that you can remove your pants using your pockets.


Sagin' just a little. . .


down they go (they went up and down several times). . .


Walkin' aroung - 'cuz why not. . .


Climging into the chair - little harder to hold them on, so they fell off. . .

So proud of himself without his pants on!

. . . and - it's cold without pants on, so we need to warm up on the vent.

Some big shoes to fill.

I know it's terrible cliche, but it's constantly amazing how quickly Eli has turned from our baby to a little boy. He eats with his silverware and, on a good day, doesn't hardly spill any. He's drinking from a "big boy" cup when he's not running around. He has a favorite Disney movie (have we let him watch too much?). He plays the harmonica better than his mom (not really all that impressive, if you consider my skills). And . . . He's got huge feet! Well, maybe not really, but he seems to like putting on our shoes lately.

Snow Slide

We've been loving winter. Really. Especially the last few weeks when it's been a little less cold and Eli can play outside for longer than 10 minutes at a time. With all the snow this winter, Jeff build Eli (and maybe himself?) a snow slide off the back steps of our deck. We've been taking Eli to the mall to play on the play-place there this winter when it's been too bitter cold to play outside. Everything is seriously padded there, including the floor, so it was a great place for Eli to learn how to go down the big slide on his own. One day, in the back yard, Jeff started pilling up snow on the steps and Eli was content to stuff his face in big piles of snow and lick. When the slide was completed, Jeff sat Eli at the top and ran around to the bottom, repeatedly asking Eli to wait, wait, wait! He got to the bottom and looked up at Eli who was still sitting at the top, looking a bit confused. But then Jeff said, "Eli, it's a slide!" Eli's response was one of his chuckles from his gut and a big push off the top. He'd seen plenty of slides, but none made out of snow before. After a little sun in the afternoon and some rain the next day, the slide is primed for speedy sliding and Eli's having a great time - especially since he's started getting hot chocolate to warm up when he comes in the house.

"The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." - GK Chesterton

For the last four years I've been a part of a motley group of seminarians, professors, pastors, plumbers and others called "the glimmerings". We are a reading group that also dabbles in poetry and essays. Lois, one of the group members, showed up with the Chesterton quote which resulted in an assignment for poems on cheese. It took me about two seconds to conjure up an image of Eli and his beloved string cheese. Here is the result.
~Jeff

Little man roams

Little man roams
for the world is his throne
King of a kingdom
that encompasses home

Running and climbing
movement never ceased
A hundred thousand kilowatts
of energy in release

Surging through his domain
to establish peace
With the shield of sippy cup
and a scepter of cheese

Flopping and waggling
he conducts his symphony
Two point four ounces
for all to see

Tending his flock
herding sheep on the farm
It’s a milky white flexible
extension of his arm

Better than the cheddar
that melts on his taco’s
Higher than other snacks
it is this he chose

Mo-zza-rella
perfect for little teeth
Full of z’s and syllables
it is the string lover’s cheese

But in the grip
of a 19 month old
This edible screwdriver
is better than gold

40% play toy
50% fuel
10% bargaining chip
100% cool

Tear it or smash it
bend it around
Low impact drum stick
to bang and to pound

Abuse is no stranger
to this strung out cheese
But never complaining
it was designed to please

A perfect companion
for after a nap
Even if a stubborn one
takes too long to unwrap

He’ll take it.

And he will love
every last bite
As inch by inch
it vanishes from sight

Living to the fullest
this cheese has won
the love of a child
whose roaming lives on

An every shortening tool
whose work goes undone
Bye-bye string cheese
the end has come

~ Jeff Petersen

When I was in 7th grade, I broke my ankle. Since the school bus dropped us off a 1/2 mile from home, and since my Grandparents (Traxler) lived just three doors down the street from us, they spent four weeks picking me up at the corner of our road and taking me to their house until one of my parents got home. You have to know that my Grandparents weren't (and my Grandmother still isn't) the bake cookies and read stories kind of Grandparents. My Grandpa skied almost until the day he died and my Grandma still does (she recently turned 82). She bowls and plays golf and, yes, she also plays bingo. Some of those afternoons with my Grandparents were spent watching television or playing ping-pong, but most of the time, we played Cribbage. Their Cribbage board had pegs for two players, so my Grandpa would always keep score with a pad of paper and a pencil (not a pen). And he always won. After a couple of weeks of this, I decided that there may be something to this pad and pencil method and insisted that I was going to keep my own score this time. I won. The first and only time I beat my Grandpa in Cribbage was when I kept score on that stinking pad of paper.
This Holiday season was spent at the house at Pretty Lake for the first time in 8 years. My Dad's birthday is on January 1st and we spent the day at the lake for it. Between dinner and cake my dad and I played a game of Cribbage with the football game in the background. (I won - but no pad and pencil) Welcome home Dad.

Christmas pics

New Niece/Cousin!

Yesterday we headed to Holland Hospital to visit our new niece/cousin! My sister, Cherie, and her husband, Cory, had their first child on Wednesday evening - and she's the first girl in a very, very long time in Cory's family. She's beautiful! Eli wasn't terribly interested in Emmelia, but he was interested in all the buttons and gadgets and chairs in the hospital.

Also, on a much smaller, but also very cute note, Eli played in the snow for the first time the other day. As Jeff was getting him from the car to the house, he bent down by the edge of the sidewalk and waved at the snow - his sign for "No-no." How sad! Our son thought that snow was a no-no! So Jeff bundled him up and they romped in the snow. I think he's a fan.